THE CAUCUS; Indiana Governor Is Said to Be in Running for Purdue Post

By STEVEN YACCINO; Jeff Zeleny contributed reporting.

Published: June 20, 2012

Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana is a candidate again. Not for president of the United States - he declined to run for that post last year. And not for governor - term limits prevent him from seeking re-election.

Instead, Mr. Daniels is likely to be named the next president of Purdue University when trustees gather to choose a new leader on Thursday, according to a Republican close to Mr. Daniels.

Twitter was buzzing on Tuesday with speculation about Mr. Daniels's departure from politics, which was first reported by the local news outlet WISH-TV Channel 8. Mr. Daniels would become the 12th president of Purdue.

As a governor, Mr. Daniels has built a reputation as a conservative who cut costs and who was tough on labor in his state, most recently by signing a ''right to work'' bill in February that would allow workers to avoid paying fees to unions they choose not to join. He is finishing his second four-year term as governor.

Mr. Daniels faced pressure from many in the Republican Party to enter the 2012 presidential race. He ultimately decided not to run, much to the disappointment of his supporters, saying that his family did not want to weather the campaign. Still, that did not stop some from tossing around his name as a potential vice-presidential pick on Mitt Romney's shortlist.

The Purdue board of trustees will meet on Thursday morning to vote for a candidate to succeed the university's current president, France A. C?va, who announced in July that she would be stepping down this summer. A committee, led by a board member and made up of faculty members, staff members, students and alumni, has been searching for a successor, and its choice will be presented to the board during the meeting, said Chris Sigurdson, assistant vice president of external relations at Purdue.

Three of those trustees, including the board member who led the search committee, were among several people that Mr. Daniels reappointed to boards at state colleges and universities on Tuesday, according to a news release on the Indiana state Web site.

Mr. Sigurdson and a spokeswoman from the governor's press office declined to confirm or deny whether Mr. Daniels would be the candidate trustees would be considering.

Jeff Zeleny contributed reporting.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

PHOTO: Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, would be the 12th president of Purdue University. (PHOTOGRAPH BY DANNY MOLOSHOK/REUTERS)